Abstract

Cucurbita maxima is a species of cucurbit native to Central America, that has been shown to have many medicinal uses including anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. This economically important member of the Cucurbitaceae is not thoroughly documented in the scientific literature, and this manuscript fills in a major gap that is missing by providing the first high resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy images of Cucurbita maxima pollen to date. The individual pollen grain is a monad with a polar spherical morphology, echinate projections, and is 100μm in diameter. Researchers conducting palynological or paleopalynology studies will be able to use these images as a literature reference for Cucurbita maxima.